Early Entrance to Kindergarten

Click here for Board Policy 6:135 - Accelerated Placement

Early Entrance to Kindergarten Requests

Purpose of Early Entrance to Kindergarten

As dictated by Illinois School Code, children enrolling in kindergarten in Bensenville School District 2 must be 5 years of age by September 1st of the year they are entering kindergarten.

BSD2 recognizes that in select cases, children who demonstrate skills and maturity significantly higher than an average kindergarten student may benefit from beginning kindergarten prior to the typical age of 5. Early Entrance to Kindergarten is a form of whole-grade acceleration (Board Policy 6:135- Accelerated Placement Program). In order to be considered for early entrance into Kindergarten, a student's 5th birthday must fall between September 2nd and December 31st of the year they would be entering Kindergarten.

To accommodate these children, the District has outlined specific eligibility guidelines and procedures for early enrollment into kindergarten. Please note that there are no definitive criteria that guarantee a student will succeed in an early entrance environment. Rather, the District will consider several factors and work with families to determine the best choice for the student.

Even children who meet the guidelines for early placement into kindergarten may potentially face challenges stemming from their relative physical, social, or emotional immaturity. For these reasons, BSD2 typically screens only a small number of children each year, with only a small number of those qualifying for early entrance.

Early Entrance to Kindergarten Procedures

1. Parents who wish to have a child considered for early entrance to Kindergarten must complete an Application for Early Entrance to Kindergarten form including a parent questionnaire. An additional questionnaire is also filled out by the child’s current preschool teacher if enrolled in a preschool program.
2. Parents must return the forms along with a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate to the school office by May 15th. This deadline includes any families that may move into the District after this date. This deadline is necessary for the planning of class sections and securing the amount of staff needed to meet the needs of all students.
3. After turning in the completed forms to the school office on or prior to May 15th, the parents will be contacted by the MtSS and Assessment Coordinator to make an appointment to meet with the principal of the school the child will attend to discuss potential early entrance.
4. BSD2 will administer an initial screening exam. Parents will receive feedback on the test results.  The District will use the following portions of Illinois Snapshots of Early Literacy (ISEL) and the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDs) assessments to gather the early screener Literacy- Comprehension of Kindergarten ready text, letter-name recognition, letter-sound correspondence, phonological awareness, and emergent writing skills

1. Early Literacy- Comprehension of Kindergarten ready text, letter-name recognition, letter-sound correspondence, phonological awareness, and emergent writing skills
2. Math- Number sense (oral counting), number sense (object counting) add and subtract small quantities of objects, and  knowledge of shapes and characteristics

1. The Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, the school principal, the MTSS & Assessment Coordinator, and the Curriculum Director will serve as the Early Entrance Request Team that will consider the completed surveys and assessments and will then make a determination as to readiness. 
2. After completion of the testing, parents will receive a notification from the Early Entrance Request Team to review the test results and share eligibility. Please know that if the request is denied, the data will be shared with your child’s preschool teacher to ensure that they are challenged based on their current levels.
3. The Early Entrance Team will issue the final decision.